Everything you need to know about Body and Soul (Part 1) by Crystal Pite

Who is Crystal Pite?

“There aren’t many current choreographers more respected and in-demand than the multi-award-winning Crystal Pite” wrote The Guardian recently, while The Telegraph described her as “an absolute sorceress”. 

A former dancer with Ballet BC and Ballett Frankfurt, Pite has created more than 60 works for companies such as The Royal Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Paris Opera Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and more, as well as her own company, Kidd Pivot. She has won no less than five Olivier Awards. 

She is particularly “celebrated for deploying large ensembles in surprising and thought-provoking ways” (Financial Times), with “large-scale shows [that] harness dancers and design to visceral effect” (The London Standard).  

Body and Soul (Part 1) shows her at the height of her power, bringing 36 dancers together, morphing from intricate duets to mesmerising waves of movement across the stage.  

Jermaine Spivey, who is currently staging the work with Eric Beauchesne, says that in this piece, “people will see the power of mass, the power of people moving, falling, extending together… It’s exciting but also intense and maybe even a little bit dangerous and worrying. And there’s a beauty in that.” 

What is Body and Soul (Part 1)  about?

“What stands out in all of Pite’s work is its humanity. These are never just bodies moving for movement’s sake. Her supple choreography is genius at illuminating relationships and emotional grey areas.” The Guardian 

Crystal Pite’s choreographic creations focus on deeply human, resonant themes. Across her large body of work, these have included mortality, political power and the refugee crisis. 

In Body and Soul (Part 1), Pite presents variations on a theme of conflict. Her focus is on our human desire for connection, and how there is conflict within that. “We seem to crave unity yet we identify as sealed-off selves”, she says, “our sense of self is rattled by the idea of being subsumed into a larger entity.” 

This conflict in our craving for connection is seen in a series of duets between two individuals, two groups, two systems. 

For Jermaine Spivey, “there is a back and forth in the piece between seeing people trying to solidify a personal identity and individuality, as well as a connection to the people that they are in a group and in a community with.” 

The spoken words and the score

The piece starts with a series of stage directions describing actions by two figures. Written by Pite, they are told in voiceover, in French, by actress Marina Hands. 

“Figure 1 turns over. 
Shifts shoulders, head, feet; turns over again. 
Leans on an elbow, head bowed. 
Extends an arm, reaching towards Figure 2, who does not move.
Figure 1 reaches again, lifting the head slightly.” 

As the voice describes the actions, they are performed. The scene repeats several times, but the meaning changes depending on the movement performed   (a fight, a moment of intimacy…) and who performs it (two individuals, two large groups…). 

As the piece progresses, the score becomes layered. The voice loops and echoes, becoming interlaced with an electronic soundscape and moments from Chopin’s piano Preludes – all brought together by Owen Belton, Pite’s longtime collaborator. 

Why “Part 1”?

Body and Soul was created for Paris Opera Ballet in 2019. The work was originally in three acts.  

This season, English National Ballet presents the first act, Body and Soul (Part 1), as a standalone piece. This will be the first time it’s staged in the UK, and the first time we perform a work by the acclaimed choreographer 

Restaging a production on another company is always interesting for the creative team, balancing faithfulness to the original, with the new interpretations and possibilities offered by different dancers. Jermaine Spivey explains: “It’s been wonderful to work with the dancers here at English National Ballet. It’s obvious how determined they are to soak up as much of the information we’re giving them as possible. They’re really determined also to get the physicality – they’re determined to honour the work.” 

See Crystal Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) as part of English National Ballet’s Body & Soul this spring. 

Production Sponsor: Cunard